One of college football’s most lucrative transfer portal acquisitions has turned into a staggering $2 million disaster for the University of Tennessee.
The Volunteers and head coach Josh Heupel have officially cut ties with the star edge rusher Chaz Coleman just months after winning a recruiting war for his services.
Tennessee originally beat out heavy interest from programs like Ohio State and LSU to land the highly-rated 19-year-old defensive prospect from Penn State.
To secure the commitment, the school reportedly agreed to a massive NIL package valued in the region of $2 million, according to CBS Sports.
However, the acquisition quickly fell apart as Coleman was a notable no-show for the majority of spring practices and the program’s annual spring exhibition game.
Shortly after, the program quietly removed the 6-foot-4, 250-pound defender from the official team roster earlier this week, signaling an abrupt end to his tenure.
The Tennessee Volunteers have officially cut ties with the star edge rusher Chaz Coleman
Tennessee beat out heavy interest to land the highly-rate 19-year-old defensive prospect from Penn State after agreeing to a massive NIL package valued in the region of $2 million
Vols head coach Heupel recently claimed that Coleman ‘has been dealing with some things’
According to ESPN, Coleman had been medically disqualified from the program.
Vols head coach Heupel recently claimed that Coleman ‘has been dealing with some things, and we’re here to support him’.
Similarly, after their Orange & White Game on April 11, Heupel had said: ‘Ultimately Chaz is dealing with some things off the field, and he’s got to handle that and go through that process.
‘We’re here to help and support him in all of those ways and will continue to do that. But that’s ultimately the beginning part of his journey right now, that (there’s) some things that he’s got to work through.’
CBS Sports had previously reported that the four-star recruit was struggling with homesickness, as well as the pressure of being such a high-profile recruit.
Coleman also recently deleted his social media pages amid his mysterious absence.
It remains entirely unknown how much of the original $2 million valuation was already paid out to the athlete before the university moved to terminate the contract.
The loss serves as a major hit to the Tennessee defense, which was counting on Coleman to bolster their roster after a turbulent 8-4 campaign last season.
During his freshman season at Penn State, the edge rusher logged a sack, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries across nine appearances.
